The UK will not yet sign up to Donald Trump’s Board of Peace over concerns about Vladimir Putin’s potential involvement, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.
The UK is one of a number of countries that has been invited by Trump to join the board, which was initially designed to oversee the rebuilding and design the future governance of Gaza.
On Thursday, a ceremony will take place at the World Economic Forum in Davos where nations sign up to the board.
However, Cooper has said Britain will not be one of the signatories.
Speaking to the BBC, she said the board as a “legal treaty that raises much broader issues.”
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The initiative’s initial focus had been on ending the conflict in Gaza.
But the White House’s proposed charter for the board doesn’t mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed for a much wider scope, prompting concerns it is trying to replace some functions of the United Nations.
Cooper also said the UK had concerns over Russian president Vladimir Putin being invited to join the board.
Trump confirmed this week that he had invited Putin to join the board, and said the Russian leader had accepted the invite.
However, the Kremlin has said it is still studying the invitation.
Cooper said: “We won’t be one of the signatories today because this is a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.
“And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something that’s talking about peace when we’ve still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be commitment to peace in Ukraine.”
There have been wider concerns from some cabinet members about Putin being on a Board for Peace whilst continuing the war in Ukraine.
The Board of Peace is one of Trump’s grand plans, and was originally announced to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza.
However, a leaked text of its founding charter said the board would be “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
The likes of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan have already said they will join the board.
Last week, the White House confirmed the founding Executive Board, which included former UK prime minister Tony Blair.